This invention relates to modem transmission over packet networks. In particular, the present invention relates to techniques for demodulating, relaying, and remodulating low speed (eg. V.22, V.22bis and V.21) modem transmissions over packet networks with a robust redundancy technique to maintain reliable communications in the event of high packet loss.
When modem devices are connected through a packet network, they are not directly connected. The entire modem signal is packetized the a sending end, sent over the packet network and reassembled into a designated format at the receiving end before presentation to the receiving modem device.
For example, packetizing and transporting of modem calls over gateway platforms using G.711 Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) codec, requires digitizing the originating modem phone line at 64 Kbps, packetizing and transporting the entire 64 kbps data stream to the other side, and then sending out the same 64 kbps data stream to the remote modem. The advantage of this approach is that it works for any modem that can be received on a standard POTS phone line, and it is simple to implement.
The disadvantage of this approach are:
(1) it requires a large amount of network bandwidth to implement the call and a connection can be dropped because of packet loss. If G.711 packets are being sent every 10 mSec, then the network bandwidth required to send each direction of the call is over 110 kbps (when the header sizes (RTP+UDP+IP+TCP+Ethernet) are included).
(2) The connection over a packet network is not a constant connection and often experiences line delays, errors, jitter and/or packet loss which can result in modem errors. In particular, packet loss results in interruptions in the modem signal (intermittent carrier loss) at the receiving modem. The interruptions result in degraded data throughput due to modem retrains and increased modem connection failures.
(3) Due to the clock differences at the two end points, standard G.711 playout techniques will periodically exhibit a modem signal interruption due to playout overruns and/or underruns. Again these interruptions in the modem signal lead to periodic modem retrains impacting data throughput rates.
In summary, when G.711 coding with packetization is used for data modem transmissions, the two modems are essentially communicating to each other using a potentially inadequate medium for their transmission. This approach is particularly vulnerable to network packet loss.